Restaurant Review: The Baldwin Saloon

And on the seventh day God created fish and chips, and there was much rejoicing.  And God did say unto to the fry cook make them golden brown and crispy, not soggy or cakey.  The heavenly host seated customers on high, and the strumpets made cooing noises.  And then God spake, Go ye fry cooks and cut potatoes lengthwise, and baptize them in hot oil.  Get them not from the freezer.  Get them not from Food Services of Judea, lest ye be unto snail dung in my sight.  Fryeth them likewise to a golden brown, and resteth them with the fish upon the crinkly paper in the plastic basket.  God looked upon his lunch and sayeth he, Let there be tartar sauce.  Let it not be too sweet, or I shall afflict thee with a plague of hipsters.  Instead, with thy mayonnaise and relish, add lemon, and maybe dill, and a dash of the heavenly green Tabasco sauce, and thou shalt dwell in the kingdom of the lunch counter, on this, our greasy spoon of paradise.  

Amen.  

Which brings us to my first of many Fish & Chips reviews.  It just happens to also be about one of my most frequented Columbia Gorge restaurants: The Baldwin Saloon, in The Dalles, Oregon.  Despite my above remark about greasy spoons, this place is certainly not one.  The greasy spoons will be reviewed in later posts.  

When you walk into The Baldwin Saloon, you find a mixture of old western charm,...

Renee

... friendly staff, and...

Fine art

...a bar full of naked women - in paintings, of course.  

There is art throughout the saloon, starting with the ladies of the bar, and turning to western landscapes in the restaurant proper.  Other touches are a piano on a platform above the entrances to the restrooms, and a vintage cash register.  The bar has a brass rail.  How awesome is that?  Even more awesome is the occasional rumble of a Union Pacific train across the alley.  The floor vibrates a little.  I like trains, so this is a plus.  

The menu is extensive for an upscale restaurant.  Did I say "upscale"?  Yes, it's upscale for the Columbia Gorge, not for San Francisco or New York City.  The menu is decidedly American Cuisine, with some other traditions scattered in, from a Mediterranean Cobb Salad to the French influences Coquille St. Jaques.  

Today, we had an appetizer of oysters on the half shell.  Until just a couple of months ago, I had not had oysters thusly since I visited the Baltimore Inner Harbor in 1991.  There is something intrinsically, well... icky about raw oysters.  However, fresh oysters on the half shell, with a spritz of lemon, and a dollop of cocktail sauce (with enough horseradish to give it a zing) are surprisingly good.  These are excellent.  

Whenever I eat raw mollusks, I do it at the Baldwin.

Oh, the humanity!

The next course was clam chowder (notice a trend here?).  I have had varying levels of clam chowder throughout the west coast over the last almost thirty years.  The clam chowder a the Baldwin is on the high end of the scale.  It is creamy, and not slimy like many soups from a can that you can find at restaurants claiming to serve food made on the premises.  I had a particularly dreadful example this past winter at a Hood River steak house (which I won't name here) that had a decent flavor, but the texture was off (xanthan gum?), and IT WAS COLD!  The soup at the Baldwin was not cold.  It was Goldilocks just right.  

Next, we come to the Fish & Chips.  We had them split onto two plates, so what you see in the picture below is a half serving.  These fit all of the requirements in the opening paragraphs of this review.  The breading was light and crispy.  The fish was tender and delicious.  The fries were golden brown, and delightfully crispy.

I have two criticisms of the Fish & Chips.  1. I got a hint of strong cooking oil a few times.  2. The french fries went soggy after a few minutes.  Both of these were disappointments, but a little ketchup helped the fries along, and the tartar sauce minimized the oil taste in the fish.  I added a little lemon to it, and a dash of pepper.  All was not lost.  I will go back and try these Fish & Chips again to see if the issues I had repeat themselves, and I'll post an update.  

All in all, it was very good, despite the mixed results from the main course.  I have been a regular customer there for about 5 years now, and the quality keeps me coming back.  If you live in the area, or are just passing by The Dalles, Oregon, stop by for a good meal.

Gary L. Quay
Hood River, Oregon